Showdown Looms In UNILORIN As Junior Lecturers Earn More Than Their Seniors

Clinical lecturers at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) under the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) have issued a three-week ultimatum to the university, threatening to suspend all teaching activities if their demands for the full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) are not met.

In a communiqué signed by the association’s Chairman, Prof. Olatunde Ibrahim, and Secretary, Dr. Nurudeen Abdulraheem, the lecturers expressed frustration over the failure of the UNILORIN authorities to implement the CONMESS payment structure, which has been in place at other federal universities in the Northern region and across the country. They are demanding that the UNILORIN management begin paying CONMESS to all clinical lecturers, with arrears dating back to 2018.

The ultimatum, which started on Monday, October 7, 2024, comes after multiple meetings with the university’s Vice-Chancellor, during which assurances were given that CONMESS would be implemented by May 2024. However, the UNILORIN MDCAN members claim the payment was not approved, leaving them as the only clinical lecturers in the Northern federal universities still unpaid under the CONMESS structure.

“If CONMESS is not fully implemented after the expiration of the ultimatum, clinical lecturers will cease all academic activities, including classroom teaching, practicals, bedside teaching, examinations, accreditation exercises, and departmental meetings,” the association warned.

The MDCAN noted that all newly hired clinical lecturers at UNILORIN are already placed on CONMESS, resulting in an unequal situation where junior lecturers earn more than their senior colleagues and even heads of departments.

The association also highlighted that federal universities in the South-East and South-South regions have already implemented CONMESS for their clinical lecturers, with UNILORIN and some universities in the South-West being notable exceptions.

Despite their frustrations, the clinical lecturers expressed hope that the Vice-Chancellor and university management will resolve the issue before the ultimatum expires, averting a disruption in clinical academic activities.

The university management has yet to release an official statement on the matter.
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